Screen doors are a great addition to any property because they allow light and cooling breezes in your home in the summer while keeping out pest and debris. There are, however, many types and styles of screen doors available so you need to choose wisely to get the most suitable one.
One of the main choices is between retractable and sliding screen doors. These look and operate differently, with each type having varying characteristics, benefits and drawbacks, so you must consider carefully before making your choice.
Features and Characteristics of Sliding Screen Doors
Sliding screen doors are installed on the exterior of a building and over the existing door opening. To open and close them, they move smoothly along a track with little effort needed. If they are selected and installed properly, these doors will be quite unobtrusive and will not spoil the appearance of your property in any way. Quite the opposite, in fact, because these screens can be attractive and enhance your home’s appearance.
A sliding door is not affected by wind in the same way as one that swings open and so is more stable and secure when the wind blows. Because it is on the outside of a property, however, a sliding door is more open to the elements and can be damaged by extreme weather so that repairs or replacement are necessary. They can also be damaged by large pets trying to get through them but are significantly less expensive to buy than retractable versions.
Sliding doors are easier to install than retractable models and, overall, may be more cost-effective. That may need to be balanced against their lower durability and a requirement for more frequent cleaning, although they do offer excellent ventilation and have space-saving features.
Features and Characteristics of Retractable Screen Doors
Unlike sliding doors, retractable models are installed in the interior of your home. This means they are not constantly exposed to the weather and so will tend to last much longer than sliding versions, also being more durable and tougher, and better able to withstand the attention of pets.
One of the reasons for the popularity of these doors is that, when not in use, they retract into a housing and therefore effectively disappear. The mesh material is attached to a roller at one end and so rolls out easily when closed and back into the housing when not used. This arrangement means the screen can work either vertically or horizontally, whichever is the most appropriate for your door set-up or even for windows. They are available in a range of colours and styles so the doors and their housing can easily fit in with the aesthetics of your home.
Retractable mesh screens are extremely effective at their main purpose — keeping pests and dirt out of your home when your doors are open — and can be fitted to any size and type of door. They generally have a clean and modern look that enables them to enhance the appearance of any property.
The doors are typically more expensive and take longer to install than sliding versions but are low maintenance and longer lasting. They are also extremely easy to use, sometimes being electronically operated by remote control.
Deciding Which is Best for You
When choosing between sliding and retractable doors, several factors need to be taken into account:
- How much you can afford to spend, with retractable doors being the more expensive but having a longer useful life.
- The type of look you want to create and the type of property you have, sliding doors having a more traditional appearance while retractable ones have a cleaner and more modern look.
- The amount of space you have available since sliding doors are generally more efficient with interior space and suitable for smaller homes.
- The extent of cleaning and maintenance you want to undertake, which will generally be more for sliding doors that are on the exterior of your property and therefore are exposed to the weather.
It may come down to personal choice and individual needs. The best way to approach the issue is to examine our range of screens, which can all be customised to meet your exact needs, and choose what is best for you. If you really can’t decide, get in touch and we will give you all the advice you need to make the right choice.
We’ll generally recommend retractable screens because they are made from materials that are more durable and so will last must longer than sliding screen doors. Although retractable screens are more expensive to buy, they last much longer, as demonstrated by our ten-year warranty, and so will prove more cost-effective in the longer term.
Whatever you choose, you can be sure your screen will fit and work perfectly. That’s because we custom-make every screen to fit an individual space and then install it correctly so there are no gaps. Once closed, nothing will get through.